Empire Uprising (Taran Empire Saga Book 2): A Cadicle Space Opera

by A. K. DuBoff

  “Are you sure?” Wil asked. “I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

  Too late for that. She shrugged. “Like you said, adding a new label to something doesn’t change what was there all along.”

  “It’s true. Some people will step up as leaders no matter what circumstances they were born into. Other times, we’re forced to take on a role we never wanted.”

  “You seem like one of those ‘natural leader’ sorts,” she said.

  Wil shook his head. “I’d rather spend all day in an engineering lab. The influence I have now was thrust upon me; I never wanted it.”

  Lexi looked to Jason for confirmation, and he just shrugged. She eyed Wil. “From what I’ve heard, you’re quite the decorated military commander.”

  “It’s interesting what information filters out to the rest of the galaxy. They call me a ‘savior’, but ‘destroyer of planets’ would be a more fitting title, if the masses knew the truth.”

  Saera dropped her fork on her plate and sighed. She cast Wil a ‘don’t do this’ look, accompanied by the hum of a telepathic exchange.

  Jason stared down at his meal, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

  “What I mean to say, Lexi,” Wil continued, “is that we all have the ability to effect change. Some more so than others. We have a duty to our fellow citizens to treat each other with respect. We have a duty to our friends and family, to have each other’s backs in times of need. And we have a duty to our civilization—to our Taran race, to preserve our way of life for future generations. These different scopes of responsibility are sometimes at odds with each other, and fulfilling our obligations can mean compromising on tenets we would hold firmly in any other context.”

  She looked down, reflecting on what she’d done in the last year with—and working against—the Alliance.

  “You wondered why I offered you that immunity deal, absolving you of any wrongdoing,” Wil continued. “It’s because you—like so many others—have been a victim of circumstance. You had to do awful things no person should have to endure. Context matters. You’ve helped prevent further injury to innocents. What more can you hope to do?”

  “It doesn’t change the fact that I killed people,” she mumbled.

  “So have all of us in this room. I, personally, have the lives of billions on my hands.” He gave a pained shrug. “Had those actions been perpetrated outside the context of military command, I would have been executed a long time ago. Instead, they call me a hero. I’ve never felt like one. Fulfilling my duty, my responsibility, doesn’t change the weight I bear for my actions. Just as your legal absolution hasn’t alleviated your own conscience. Only time and perspective can do that.”

  Saera cast her husband another sidelong glance. “I’d apologize, but this is typical. You may as well get used to the random philosophical ponderings sooner than later.”

  Jason nodded his agreement and resumed finishing his cake.

  “I don’t think I’ll get used to any of this anytime soon.” Lexi let out a long breath. Dinner with the Sietinens?! How is this my life now?

  “It takes less time than you may think,” Saera said. “Just remember that above all else, we’re people. Maybe it’s how I grew up, but I never saw the point in idolizing celebrities or people in positions of power. When it comes down to it, everyone needs to breathe and eat or we die. And we’ll die eventually all the same. There are way more important things in life than dwelling on your own inadequacies or others’ good fortunes.”

  Lexi nodded. “Totally agree. That’s a good way to talk yourself into an airlock.”

  “I don’t expect you to trust us from the start; that needs to be built. But I do hope you keep an open mind about us,” Wil said.

  She smiled slightly. “I can do that.”

  Wil looked down at his plate for a few seconds before returning his attention to her. “I know we’ve thrown a lot at you—and this situation is… challenging in many ways. What I’d like to make clear, though, is whatever you two do, or don’t, in making a life together is yours to decide. I do care about this family and the people we bring into it. However, when it comes to legacy, credentials—political, genetic, or otherwise—are irrelevant. What matters is a person’s integrity and loyalty.

  “You, Lexi, put your own safety at risk to look for your friend. You took action to protect innocents when bad people were plotting in the shadows. That’s real character. I don’t care where you’re from or what that genetic evaluation might reveal. You’ve earned my respect based on your actions.”

  She flashed an appreciative smile and bobbed her head. “Thank you.”

  “See?” Jason said in her mind. “I told you they’d like you.”

  “All right, maybe this won’t be so tough after all.”

  — — —

  Wil settled onto the couch next to Saera, happy to be back in their quarters and unwinding after the somewhat awkward family dinner.

  “Really, Wil? Asking for a genetic test over dessert?” Saera eyed him with one brow raised.

  “It came out a little more bluntly than I’d intended.”

  Saera sighed. “It’s not about how you asked, but the very idea…”

  “I do have my reasons,” he said before she could further articulate her protest. “I think you’ll agree it’s worth looking into once you know a little more about the world.”

  “Such as?”

  “For starters, they have their own genetic record system that rivals the Priesthood’s. Apparently, some of the family lines go back a very long way—to before the Priesthood’s interventions in the broader population. The High Dynasty designation didn’t come around until that time. Rumor has it that some of the Gifted families who’d settled on Cytera were some of those vying for leadership roles in the Empire.

  “The Priesthood never relied on one plan. I can’t help but wonder if Cytera may have been a backup world for if their genetic engineering plans didn’t pan out how they hoped on Tararia.”

  Saera leaned back on the couch. “Wow. So there really could be something significant there. You think Lexi might be a descendant of one of those families?”

  “Given her inexplicably strong resonance connection with Jason? I’ll just say that in my life, there was never coincidence. I’m afraid our children inherited that reality, as well. Sure, the Priesthood was destroyed, but their plans had been woven for generations. There’s no reason to believe those threads would fizzle out just because there’s no longer anyone pulling the strings.”

  His wife nodded. “Fair enough.”

  “That said, I’m all for people determining their own paths. No matter what the analysis reveals, she and Jason can choose whatever life they want, together or not.”

  “I do like her. There’s no doubt she’s spirited. Smart, too.”

  “Agreed. I’m glad we got the chance to talk with her more without it being a formal interview.”

  “She might feel differently about whether or not it was an interrogation.”

  He winced. “Yeah, sorry about that. I’ll smooth things over later.”

  “If you were anything less than ‘oddly intense’, she probably wouldn’t have believed you were taking the meeting seriously.”

  He chuckled. “Fair point.”

  Saera propped her elbow on the back of the couch and rested her head on her hand. “Are you prepared to defend this new relationship on Jason’s behalf?”

  “Yes, I would never stand in the way of Jason’s happiness. Do you have doubts about Lexi?”

  “This whole thing caught me by surprise, but I think she’s actually perfect for him in a lot of ways.”

  “I agree. He’d get bored with a straitlaced rule-follower.”

  “Lexi is definitely not that.” Saera raised her eyebrows. “She has more than a few blemishes on her record, immunity agreement or not.”

  “The media could try to slander her if word gets out about their relationship.”

  “They’ve made a big
deal about far less.”

  “Yes, true.” Wil weighed the options. “It wouldn’t be difficult for us to expunge anything that might tarnish our family by association. However, that would be a blatant abuse of power—and we’d come under a different kind of scrutiny.”

  “We definitely don’t want it to seem like we’re trying to cover anything up.”

  “Really, we’ve done a lot worse over the course of our professional careers in the name of duty. A handful of petty crime convictions as a minor isn’t that big a deal.”

  “I’m more concerned about the reaction to her not being highborn.”

  “I don’t care what the other Taran elite have to say on the matter.”

  “Oh, yeah, I couldn’t care less about those judgmental snobs.” She crossed her arms. “Still, Lexi might be a tough sell to the extended family.”

  “I must admit, I’m more uncertain about my parents’ reception than I would have been in the past.”

  She nodded. “They’re under a lot of political pressure right now.”

  “Regardless, they’ve never cared much about lineage,” Wil said. “I mean, they were great champions of my relationship with you from the beginning—since well before we knew about your mom’s dynastic ties.”

  “Still, it was different with us; they won’t look at Jason’s situation the same way. We were both in the TSS, and I was excelling as a Primus trainee. Back then, your parents’ top concern was your well-being in the TSS. I helped with that, so naturally they encouraged us to be together.”

  “Whereas Jason isn’t on the verge of collapse, like I was.”

  “I know he misses Tiff—as anyone would remember a lost friend—but he’s in a good place emotionally. There isn’t a case to be made for this relationship being necessary in the way ours was for you.”

  “Nonetheless, there’s no denying a resonance connection. My parents understand what that feels like.”

  “Which is why they won’t outright forbid them from a partnership, unlike what your grandfather said about us.”

  The statement sparked a painful twinge in Wil’s core. He’d tried not to let his dad’s strained relationship with his own father influence his interactions with his grandparents, but he’d found himself at odds with them, as well. How could he have been close to people that elected to ignore their Gifts when those abilities were at the core of his own identity? Not to mention, they considered bloodlines paramount when choosing a life partner; love didn’t enter the equation.

  “My grandfather represented everything that’s wrong with the highborn way of thinking.” Wil shook his head. “And though he denied it up to the end, he tried to keep us apart even when he knew the power of a resonance connection firsthand. My grandparents had one, too—the Priesthood’s genetic intervention had made sure of that, so they’d end up together.”

  “In all fairness, I’m not sure they ever experienced something like what we have. Their bond eroded after your uncle died; we all know it. They never recovered from losing their first child.”

  And the same thing could have happened to us if I hadn’t found a way out of the darkness after the Bakzen War. He didn’t need to speak it aloud. It was in Saera’s eyes.

  “I’d do anything to help Jason have what we do,” Wil said.

  “As will I. So, what can we do to frame Lexi as a sensible choice?”

  Chapter 20

  “Well, that was an interesting dinner.” Lexi was ready to curl up in a ball on Jason’s bed by the time they got back to his quarters.

  He’d been frustratingly quiet the whole evening. Though he’d come to her defense, it was almost like he was gauging her reactions right alongside his parents. She hated feeling like a specimen.

  Still saying nothing, Jason wrapped her up in his arms the moment the door closed. The warmth and steadiness of him recentered her. For a few moments, nothing besides him mattered.

  He unfurled his arms slowly and gazed down into her eyes. “No one could ever say anything that would change how I feel about you. My parents live in a very strange bubble of reality where asking certain things about people is normal when it would be a ridiculous question to anyone else. I promise, as terrible as it sounded, it wasn’t meant in a judgmental way.”

  “Yeah, I got that eventually. But shite! What a way to pivot mid-conversation.”

  “My dad likes to think of himself as being well-socialized, but he has his quirks. May as well accept that now.”

  “I got that.” She flopped down on the couch.

  “You did great. They really like you.” Jason sat down next to her.

  “You sure about that?”

  He smiled. “When you’re a family of telepaths, there aren’t a lot of secrets. Believe me, we’d know if there was a problem.”

  Lexi snuggled up next to him. “You’re lucky you get along with your family so well.” She paused. “Actually, you’re lucky to have a family.”

  “I know I am.”

  “It’s strange. You don’t realize how much you’ve missed until you see what others have, you know?”

  He squeezed her around her shoulders. “The important thing is you’re not alone anymore. Our past experiences shape us, but they don’t doom us to a set fate.”

  “Doesn’t make it easy to escape.”

  “That’s all about your mindset. Be open to change—and to happiness.”

  “All this ‘one big community’ talk in the TSS seems too good to be true.”

  “I think a lot of people feel that way when they first land here. Eventually, they realize it’s genuine.”

  “Yeah?”

  “It’s a found family. My parents have been at the heart of this place for a long time. She doesn’t talk about it a lot, but my mom had it kind of rough growing up. It seems like she’s made it her personal mission to make sure that everyone can find a safe, supportive home here, no matter where they come from or what they’ve been through.”

  “That’s a really nice sentiment.”

  “And my dad is close with his parents, but the TSS was always his extended family more than his grandparents or uncles and aunts on Tararia. A lot of people look at those on the top like some kind of celebrities, but it can be lonely. My dad has always looked to create a sense of close community whenever possible.”

  “I’m sure it was tough growing up as a kid here, but that kind of loneliness still sounds a whole lot better than my youth—never knowing where my next meal would come from.”

  “That’s true. Still, there’s a burden to responsibility, and having a soft bed doesn’t lessen that pressure. Without a supportive community, it would be easy to be crushed by that weight.”

  She squinted at him, pursing her lips. “Okay, what am I missing?”

  “About what?”

  “You. You’re too perfect. There has to be some sort of hidden flaw that I’m missing.”

  “I’m not perfect.”

  “I dunno, from where I’m sitting, you seem to have everything going for you. Handsome, smart, nice. No one is that well-rounded.”

  He studied her. “Perhaps the issue is that you haven’t spent enough time around the right people.”

  She frowned. “No, everyone has issues. I’m concerned that I haven’t spotted yours yet.”

  “Keep in mind, I’m a TSS Agent.”

  “And that’s a flaw?”

  “No, no. What I mean is, the Agent training program is designed to smooth out the issues that most people deal with. We learn how to keep a cool head, encourage critical and creative thinking, physical fitness. If I come across as put-together and capable, it’s because I had great instructors who taught me how to be a well-rounded person.”

  “I dunno. Sounds like something someone who secretly eats people would say.”

  He laughed. “Now you’re just being absurd.”

  She sighed. “I like you too much. Every time I’ve had strong feelings for someone, it’s turned out that they’re not who I thought they were.”<
br />
  “Trust is one of the big things we work on while training as Agents. A lot of people come to the TSS having lost someone or having been treated as an outcast because of their abilities. It’s one of the reasons we place such a strong emphasis on community here.”

  “Are all the other Agents as balanced as you?”

  “For the most part. There’s extensive screening during the TSS application process to weed out the hotheads and those who don’t have enough natural aptitude to be trainable in the way we need. Our medical science can address almost any physical challenge, but there’s only so much you can do to change someone’s mindset. If they don’t want to be here, to learn and grow, that’s often a losing battle.”

  “I don’t know how you’re going to put up with me. I’m not all… ‘refined’ like you.”

  “I think you’re wonderful just the way you are.”

  “That’s because you don’t know me well.”

  He crossed his arms, an amused smile brightening his eyes. “All right, since you’re so hung up on people’s hidden issues, what’s yours?”

  “Oh, I’m flawless!” She smirked.

  “That’s how you’re going to play it, huh?”

  She sighed. “No, I… That trust thing you talked about earlier definitely hits home. Case in point with me doubting you without having a reason to.”

  “Letting people in is difficult. Especially if you’ve been let down before.”

  “I’d say having a good portion of my family murdered and then spending my entire life running might have something to do with my mindset.”

  Jason took a few moments to respond. “I think your resilience is incredible.”

  “But here I am, trying to self-sabotage because you’re this amazing guy and I can’t let myself just be happy for a change.”

  “You’re in luck, because I’m not that easy to scare off.” He wrapped his arm around her. “What’s here between us isn’t superficial. We can grow into that trust.”

  “I want to, but I don’t know how.”

  He took her hands. “Every relationship is different, and every couple needs to figure it out for themselves. We will. Together.”